Chrysler PT Cruiser Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Comments

Just wanted to get people's take on my purchase. I bought a one owner Red 2003 PT Cruiser Touring Edition with 34K miles (AT,AC,PW,PL,PS,CC,AM/FM CD) for $9750 plus tax, Lic and Doc fees. The car is in excellent mechanical condition. Just took it to my mechanic and he said he couldn't find any problems and the brakes are still about 70%. It has some nicks and scratches but nothing major or obvious. I would say the exterior is about 8.5 out of 10. The interior with cloth seats was well kept. I would say it is about 9 out of 10. I live in the Oakland/San Francisco area. I think I may have paid too much. I say this because I needed to get the scheduled maintenance done out of my pocket ($300) and I will need to replace all four of the OEM Goodyear tires (255/55R16) which will run me about $400 soon. What do you folks think about the deal?

We are thinking about buying a new 2007 Pt Sedan. Just the basic care with auto transmission , ac, not too many features to use as a second car for commute to work, about 45 miles total a day. Have the 06 and 07 cars been improved since the problems with the 04 and 02 models. For you PT owners, would you do it again and buy another one. We are looking to buy in the next month. For what its worth, we don't speed, keep the car garaged and do our own maintenance. Our Astro van has about 60,000 miles after 8 years and is still going strong. Should we just stay with what we have or buy the PT Cruiser. Thanks for any opinions.

I bought an 2006 base model with A/C, keyless, CD satellite radio and an auto trans for $11,200.00 (plus tax & lic) in November...a great deal on a very good transportation car. I don't think there are any differences between the '06 and the 2007 because the PT was just significantly refreshed in 2006.

I would certainly buy this car again. It is not an exciting car to drive (like my Miata), and the MPG is not great at about 20 to 22 MPG, but the car is roomy and comfortable and has some visual character (unlike most of it's competitors). Additionally, my very positive experience with my wife's 2003 Jeep Liberty has caused me to expect good reliability from Chrysler Corp.

I had always had Japanese cars before and swore by them, but these days, American cars have gotten much better. The PT Cruiser is not a class leader anymore, but is a good value and has become a kind of modern classic. They are unpretentious, practical American cars with a pleasing shape and lots of cargo/passenger flexibility.

My Marine Blue 2006 Cruiser replaced a 2005 Nissan Altima which was more powerful, roomier and got better gas mileage, but it was so BORING I could hardly work up the enthusiasm to even wash the car. I didn't hate the Altima, I had no feelings for it at all...I still turn and admire the years-old shape of the Cruiser and it sparkles in the driveway as I write this.

If anyone reading this is interested, I got mine at Orange Coast Chrysler/Jeep in Costa Mesa, California. They were professional and a pleasure to deal with, even when I walked out of the dealership halfway through the deal because it was getting late and I was sick.

I'm looking at possibly leasing a 2007 PT Cruiser Limited Edition or 2007 PT Cruiser GT and would be very grateful for any help you can provide. Do you know the base rate money factor for either or both of these vehicles?

I'd be happy to help you out, phys14. This vehicle's lease program varies by term and mileage allowance. You never mentioned what either of these variables are, so for now I will assume that you are interested in a 36 month lease with 15,000 miles per year. Its lease program also varies by region. For now I will assume that you are in the Northeastern U.S. Let me know if you want something different or are in a different area. Chrysler Financial's current buy rate lease money factor and residual value for a 36 month lease of a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser Sedan GT with 15,000 miles per year in its Northeast region are .00162 and 40%, respectively.

When negotiating your lease on this vehicle, make sure to take advantage of the $1,500 lease cash and $500 bonus cash that are currently available on it. They will help you to negotiate an attractive capitalized cost for your lease.

I have never leased before and was thinking about going with a PT Crusier, as their leases are seemingly affordable. I woud like to stay under $200 / month if at all possible. I am in the Los Angeles area and here is what I am being offered:

How much should I pay for a brand new, left-over PT Cruiser GT? MSRP is $24,650 and it has only 15 miles on odometer. It's a gold five-speed manual GT with leather, sunroof, and SIRIUS satelite radio. I was thinking about offering $17,500 plus Tax for the car-new 2007s are going for $4,000 to $5,000 off MSRP already. Am I being fair? can I do better with 2008s starting to arrive at the lot? With the 2008 on the lot, I am calculating in depreciation for 2006 despite the fact that it is brand new.

When looking at leftovers I usually compare my offer to used prices. I bought a '06 Limited on 28Dec06 for $15K (sticker was $19,600). At the time that was pretty comparable to a used '06 with 10K.

So I'd check blue book on your GT assuming 10K to 20K miles and bargain from there. With the '06's getting the new interior and body changes (over the '05's) I wouldn't hesitate, '08's probably won't be much different.

I don't know what sort of monthly payment a PT Cruiser would have off of the top of my head. It will really depend upon how the model that you are interested in is equipped and how good a selling price you are able to negotiate on it. The selling prices of leased vehicles are negotiable, just as if you were paying cash for or financing them. Decide exactly which PT Cruiser you want and then look up its dealer invoice price here at Edmunds.com by visiting the following section of this site: New Vehicle Pricing.

Once you know what the invoice price is for the exact vehicle that you want, subtract the $1,500 lease cash and $500 bonus cash ($2,000 total) that Chrysler is providing on it from that. Then add back a few hundred dollars for dealer profit (this low a price should be attainable in a competitive market like California) and you have your offer. Have the dealer use the price that you come up with as the capitalized cost for your lease.

Hi, in May 2007 we bought a 2003, red, pt touring ed. The rest of the details are pretty much the same, except for the mileage. Our PT had 55k miles on it, so you got the better deal there. We got 2 new tires in our car deal. We searched for a long time to get this car at our price.We paid $9105.00. So I think you got a pretty good deal. From a chatty one.

I am interested in buying PT Cruiser 07, and I am searching for the reasonable price that I need to pay. Actually, I got a quote from a dealer, and I am wondering if this price is reasonable. Would you please help me to figure out that this price is okay?

I am looking for PT Cruiser Basic with ABS and Auto. No additional options are needed. The dealer suggested this price following:

" I have found a new 07' PT in a color called Opal Metallic Clear Coat. I also found the same vehicle in Marine Blue Pearl (almost like an oceanic blue), as well as one in Inferno Red Pearl Coat. Chrysler charges $150 extra for both the opal and red colors. The marine blue has no extra charge. I ran numbers on the opal color, and here is what the General Manager has authorized me to offer you: MSRP (sticker price), is $17,535. Our sale price to you including Chrysler rebates, is $14,700!"

Of course, each local market varies, but my 2006 Marine Blue PT cost me $11,200.00 in November of 2006. (I am in Southern California). My car is a base model with A/T and sattelite radio (no ABS). Can't recall the "sticker price" but is was a little over $17K.

I just purchased a new left over 2006 Black GT Convertible with Lifetime Power Train Warranty, 5 speed, heated seats, and 18" wheels for only $15,888.00. It had 111 miles on it and had just been detailed. I guess nobody else wanted it and the dealer got desperate to sell. I bought it at the advertised price on their website. I'm very happy with it so far except for a lot of torque steer when flooring it. I'm planning on getting a Freedom Design Strut Brace to see if that helps.

Thanks tedebear, I did read in the owners manual that regular grade gas will work. I plan to try using it after the engine has a chance to break in and loosen up. Do you get any detonation? Is your mph worse than it was when using premium?

Well, I rarely drive it but the wife hasn't mentioned detonation or whether there is any significant fuel economy difference when using different octanes. She is definitely not what I'd call a performance-oriented style driver.

I did get some negative feedback on another Cruiser forum a few years back when I mentioned it usually gets regular fuel instead of premium. They asked why would anyone buy the turbo version if they weren't going to use whatever grade fuel that gave it the best performance.

For one, it was a Christmas present and she had no idea she was even getting a Cruiser until she opened the ring box with the key in it on Christmas morning. Anyway, my opinion is that a GT has better performance using regular fuel than a standard Cruiser does, regardless of what type of gas it uses.

That depends on the car. Putting lower then recomended fuel in a car with a turbo can be an accident waiting to happen. Detonation is a terrible thing to do to a motor. If you EVER hear knock or ping, get your foot off the pedal until you can get the correct fuel in the car.

However, most modern cars are designed with knock sensors and other devices that can monitor fuel types. Essentially, when the car senses detonation, the computer will pull timing and even richen-up the fuel mixture.

When this happens, you will loose both fuel economy and hp. How much? Depends on the car and how agressive the tune was in the first place. You might see a loss of 1 mpg and I would expect a loss of hp to be about 5 - 10 on a car like this and probably closer to the 5 hp number. On a 200 hp car, you will get about 10 hp increase by adjusting timing when going from 87 to 93 octane. Your car is most likely not designed for 93, but for 90 or maybe 91, since most places can not get 93 or even 92 anymore.

If the owners manual says that you can run 87, but that they prefer 89 - 92, then this is probably because the car is rated at the higher octane for power purposes and fuel economy, but that is the only reason. That is a lot different then saying "don't run 87".

As far as the folks on the other boards criticing you for using 87 in a turbo....that is comming from people stupid enough to think that a PT Cruiser is a sports car. Yes, running 87 octane in a 500 hp car with a built motor designed to run 93 would be very stupid, but probably not on your car. These are mass-produced cars designed to run on regular streets with pump gas.

To be sure, check with the service manager on the octane issue. They should know how the car is equipped and if there are knock sensors.

Do you have any info on a PT Cruiser Limited, 15K miles, 36-39 months (residual, money factor) in Texas? While I don't personally care for these cars, my hubby is enamored with them and is interested in one.

Hubby is interested in '08 Cruiser Limited....does anyone have any recent buying/leasing experiences? What kind of discount off the MSRP can we reasonably expect? Real life figures are always helpful, in addition, of course, to Edmunds' TMV!

Hi. If you can get an EC (Employee Choice) or Friends discount number from a Chrysler employee it can save you a lot off the MSRP. The EC program will be discontinued after 01/02/2008 but the Friends will stay the same.

Unfortunately, I'm all out of either discount until 01/01/2008 but you might try posting your request on some of the other Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep forums. Many Chrysler workers are also Chrysler owners who surf the forums. We are permitted to give out 2 EC numbers or 6 Friends discounts per calendar year.

All of the above prices include a $640 destination charge. The EC and Friends include a current $1,000 rebate, which expires after 01/02/2008. Add $200 to the EC price for a program fee that would be added by the dealer.

Also, those discounts and rebate info are based on a zip code in the St. Louis area. Discount prices and incentives vary by region and you didn't provide your zip code to give you a more accurate quote.

Wife is expecting our 3rd next week! Need to get a vehicle with 3 rows of seats. Anyone have an employee choice burning a hole in their pocket yet for 2007. Going in to lease a Chrysler on Monday and would love to use it!

Never mind on this request, Car_man. After making a futile attempt with the dealership to get a decent deal on this car, we went to the Honda dealership and leased a Civic Si sedanl

You would think that, with these vehicles (PT Cruisers) not moving very well (at least they aren't here), they would be willing to negotiate more to make a sale. Maybe we just encountered a bad dealership (this one, Huffhines in Plano, is definitely not recommended!), but we got much more of a deal and negotiating off MSRP from the Honda dealership, which was a surprise.

I'll post my Honda deal in that forum and give a rating to the Honda dealership, David McDavid in Frisco, TX.

Hey ChiGirl. Good choice in vehicles. I like the Civic Si. It definitely will be a lot more fin to drive around in than the PT Cruiser would have been, Thanks for offering to share the details of your deal and rate the dealership. Enjoy your new ride :shades: !